All I wanted was some time to recuperate from the last three weeks. See some movies, eat some food, heal my heart, mope around in a post-VIFF funk...the usual. I was actually looking forward to it, too. Finally, after weeks of being social and busy, I was going to go into hiding ( Read more... )

Lately, the dude's been suffering from a pain on the right side of his torso. How do I know he's suffering? He went to see the doctor, who in turn sent him for a battery of tests: X-rays, bone density exams, blood tests. The usual annual check-up sampler plus diagnostics. Fun. Unfortunately, he's not terribly experienced in the ways of being sick ( Read more... )

If Facebook was around when I was growing up, chances are that between the two of us, mom and I would have documented everything. We'd have digital albums full of things like wee me watching Star Trek with my dad, pre-teen me watching Quantum Leap with my dad, adult me taking a break from my studies and watching Enterprise with my dad, as well as ( Read more... )

"I don't know what I'm going to do when your dad retires. I honestly don't." --My mom, long ago ( Read more... )

Oh, by the way, we're being evicted. So says our neighbour, who told us that the entire Speedway Suites complex was being torn down for--what else?--condos. We've got a year, but the dude and I haven't seen so much as one eviction notice. Unless you count that that Jeannie's Neighbourhood newsletter/realtor advertisement where she dished about the ( Read more... )

You know, there's something unfair about the fact that my dad is 63 and can stay up and out all night playing poker while I'm dragging my ass trying to get to work. Shouldn't I be the one with the energy to play into the morning? It's like we switched bodies one Freaky Friday and nobody bothered to tell us. At least it's something new to grouse ( Read more... )

Midweek, I was a mess. I'd worked five days straight and was going to work a sixth, no matter how much my health and sanity complained. I wasn't eating right or sleeping enough, and my right rib was starting to ache all over again. And on top of that, I still had all the housework and errands to do, if I could get around to it. Even if it meant ( Read more... )

As soon as I got to the bus stop, I phoned my dad. It was time. It wasn't just the hells of taking transit and manouvering a folded-up cart through a slim aisle and a rear door thick with idiots. Nor was it the joys of navigating Oakridge, trying to get past all the Sunday slugs en route to Safeway so I could get the damn loss leaders already. And ( Read more... )

It was a bright and hot Sunday, which made it a perfect day to go to the movies. Since I'd picked the last movie, it was dad's turn. One problem: he was having problems deciding. At first, he wanted to see The Night Listener because "Robin Williams is usually good in the small movies he does." After he read the reviews, he changed his mind--now he ( Read more... )

While he still doesn't quite have the spring in his shuffle, dad's pretty much ambulatory now. He's been getting out to ball games, World Cup viewings, and to the shops as often as possible. Hell, he even won $1000 last Friday playing Texas Hold-'Em. Not bad for a guy who's still not fully poseable yet ( Read more... )